Reasoned Justification for Policy Nine
105 There is little evidence of widespread cycling in and around Shepton Mallet due to a number of factors:
• Poor on route facilities.
• Hilliness of the area.
• Lack of tradition of cycling.
• Lack of good cycle parking facilities.
• Feels dangerous to cycle.
• As is the case in many historic English towns, the streets tend to be narrow, making it difficult for cars to overtake cycles safely.
• External to the town the roads are narrow, bendy, and fast.
106 The town is of a scale that should make movement by such modes a logical choice. Equally though, the ability to access the open countryside away from the town is important. As shown in Fig. Need to source footpath & cycleways map there is a significant network of footpaths and, to a lesser extent, cycle paths serving the neighbourhood area.
107 A number of these paths utilise disused railway lines or Roman roads, providing scenic routes which encourage tourism to the town.
108 The East Mendip Way runs through the town from Uphill near Weston Super Mare through to Frome and a section of the Fosse Way which runs from Exeter to Leicester.
109 Currently, only 1% of people commute to work by bicycle in the UK and flows for cycles are low around Shepton Mallet. For example, the A371 west of the town has just 0.2% cycles. Data from the most recent census found that 16.4% of households did not own a car or van, suggesting that many households in Shepton Mallet will be reliant on other forms of transport which would include cycling
110 Cycling and facilities for cyclists, which needs to be accessible to all users and are best considered in three categories:
• Routes to school, which must be segregated from traffic and suitable for children.
• Commuter cyclists who want direct routes and can mix with traffic.
• Recreational cycling which is best segregated and mostly in rural areas.
111 Recent DfT Cycle Infrastructure guidance (LTN1/20) places great emphasis on encouraging cycling. It says that all routes should be segregated between both traffic and pedestrians. This places great challenges to retrofit facilities, but it is something that all highway authorities are grappling with.
112 Essentially, it is now a requirement to plan for more cycling as it makes us heathier, reducing reliance on private vehicles, reducing carbon and can be just as fast for trips less than 5kms. Policy Ten is intended to encourage a shift towards cycling in and around Shepton Mallet.
113 It is important that new development is designed carefully to ensure that new properties have good access, both to the village and to the open countryside, by non-car modes. Whilst cycle routes are designated through the village, these do not provide dedicated space for cyclists, so do not, of themselves, encourage an increase in cycle usage.
Cycle Routes through the town.